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In Utah you're either Mormon or
Nonmormon.
Read true stories and experiences and have a good laugh.

HOW THE CITY OF
MESA PUT 300
SMALL BUSINESSES
OUT OF BUSINESS

MESA ARIZONA A CITY OF CORRUPTION & LAWLESSNESS

I opened an Indoor Swap Meet called "Shoppers World" on the
Northwest corner of Gilbert Rd. and Main St. in sunny Mesa,
Arizona...AKA the city of LDS Mormon Corruption & Lawlessness.
These are the terms that have long been synonymous with the city
of Mesa. These are the methods it employs to achieve its unholy
ends.

I have learned first hand that the city of Mormon and Corruption
will stop at nothing to destroy another human being for economic
gain. This is accomplished through lawlessness and lies. It is
accomplished through misuse of the police power and misuse of the
local Mesa City court. It is accomplished, at public expense, by a
power driven and depraved city manager who serves his corrupt
brethren and their accomplices, as they in turn serve him.
I am a victim of the venal vultures of Mesa, Arizona.

Shopper's World Indoor Swap Meet - Mesa, Arizona -
over 300 tenants put out of business through bogus city violations.

HERE IS MY HORROR STORY I WISH ON NO HUMAN

I leased eleven stores in a shopping center and renovated the
buildings to make them all one contiguous building unit totaling
about 62,000 sq. ft. I submitted plans and obtained all my permits
to build Shoppers World an indoor swap-meet. (The City made me jump
through hoops before I was able to open, as is the procedure for
businesses who are not locally well connected.") The City of Mesa
authorized personnel knew exactly what I was opening. They said
they were familiar with my other stores and the TV and newspaper
advertising.

So why should I have a problem? .. Because after the contracts had
been signed and after all was said and done, 6 months later the
landlord wanted the property back! The landlord decided that they
had made a bad deal for themselves. About 6 months after everything
was under way at Shoppers World, and due in part to my costly
renovations, the building was now worth much more; and now that
some time had passed, the rental rates were now much higher, many
times that which I would be paying for many years. The actual
property owner being an ex-Mayor of Mesa (1972-1976) , and a
Mormon, whose Mormon buddy is the long time Mesa City Manager,
Charles K. Luster, used his political power to sic the City
Inspector "dogs" on me, adversely affecting not only myself but the
hundreds of tenants that were leasing from me as well.

WHAT THE CITY OF MESA DID TO PUT SHOPPERS WORLD AND OVER
300 OF ITS SMALL MOM & POP BUSINESSES...OUT OF BUSINESS

About 6 months after I opened -- after $135,000+ had been spent on
TV advertising, after 320 10' x l2' booths were constructed and
approx. $130,000 spent in renovations --a representative from my
landlord (Main & Gilbert, LLC) came to me unannounced, and said,
the owners would like their building back. Provided that I would
move out in one year, they would give me another one year of free
rent. (Since I took the building in an "As Is" condition, and had
to invest well over $100,000 in renovations, I had been given one
year free rent at the signing of my 25 year lease.)

The landlord wanted the building back because I only would have
been paying about 75 cents a sq. ft. right after the free rent
period. Today, years later, I would be paying only about $2.75 a
sq. ft. according to my lease. In today's market the landlords are
now getting over $8.00 a sq. ft.

BY FORCE, THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, THE CITY OF
MESA PUT ME AND ALL MY TENANTS (WHO PUT THEIR HEARTS AND
SOULS INTO THEIR BUSINESSES) OUT OF BUSINESS, CAUSING
HARD- SHIPS AND MANY BANKRUPTCIES.

I simply explained to the landlord's representative that not only
could I NOT realize my full investment back, more importantly, the
tenants have mortgaged their homes and have taken loans out; and,
just as I have done, they also have put their blood and sweat into
this project. And, where would we move to?

I had a 15 year lease with two 5 year options. Why should we all give this up?
SORRY.... I made a good deal for me and I would like to keep my
deal. Thanks, but no thanks.

Simply, I said no! He got pissed off. He then got up and said,
.."One way or another, they WILL get you out. ..You are better off
taking the deal."... He then left in a huff.

I did not know at the time that the actual owner of my property was
ex-mayor Eldon Cooley, a devout Mormon and very well connected.

One week later a City inspector, "Marci Rogers," came to Shoppers
World and started causing problems, chasing tenants away from under
the outside overhang of my building... telling them that they will
be arrested if they stay here! These people were selling under the
overhang outside, which is legal in a C-3 zone when you have fire
sprinklers.

Then, over the next several months, it got much worse.
City Inspector Marci Rogers would keep coming down to Shoppers
World, going up and down the aisles, making the following false
statements to the tenants.

That I was setting fires to the building. (insinuating I was
trying to collect the insurance)

That there was criminal activity going on.

That Shoppers World had over 40 violations.

That Shoppers World could be closed down at any time.

That Ed will be running his business from jail if the place is
allowed to stay open.

That Ed has been dumping garbage illegally around in back of the
building.

That Ed had many tenants suing him, that several court cases were
now pending.

Note:
To this day the city of Mesa has not denied that the city
inspector Marci Rogers made these statements.

Any one of the above statements individually would
be enough to make any existing or future tenant
flee shoppers world.

As a result of the directed actions to "city inspector" Marci
Rogers, the City of Mesa could only conjure up issuing 7 bogus
citations to me! All bogus. I tell all readers, everything they
said was a lie! There was not one of their claims that I was guilty
of. EVER! Not even the one ticket I pled guilty to (in the City
of Mesa Court) just to save legal fees! This was a ticket for "No
use permit for night watchman's quarters." I had put an empty
trailer in the back of the building. I left a light on and a radio
playing and took a dog off death row and kept it in the shade next
to the trailer, all to make it look like someone lived there. This
trailer, equipped as it was, stopped the illegal dumping in the
rear of the building and stopped the vandalism.

Again, this is a C-3 zone. RV's, boats, trailers, autos and
related items can be outside in a C-3 zone. Additionally, my next
door neighbor had the same thing in the back of his place for years
and was never cited by the city! And someone was living there!

After only being able to make up 7 false tickets, the city of Mesa
kept sending down the fire department for inspections on busy
Fridays and Saturdays! The fire inspectors could only find a tenant
using an extension cord hooked to a cash register! ..(Just imagine
what a disruption this was to our entire business) They even
commented that I had 20 more fire extinguishers than I needed in the
building. The fireman said after the 9th or 10th visit ...I don't
know who you pissed off down-town, but we are not getting
involved.
I asked him, ..Does that mean you won't be back again? ..I did
not get an answer. They never returned again.

I FOREWARNED THE CITY AT 3 PUBLIC MEETINGS, AND I WENT WITH
MY DOG (so people would remember me) TO THE CITY ADMINISTRATORS
MORE THAN 20 TIMES! I YELLED AND SCREAMED FOR THEM TO STOP
TELLING THE LIES TO MY TENANTS, ...TO STOP THE HARASSMENT.
THEY WERE INSTILLING FEAR IN MY TENANTS. "I'M LOSING MY
TENANTS BECAUSE OF YOUR LIES, ...THAT I WILL HOLD THE CITY
LIABLE IF YOU DO NOT CEASE AND DESIST AT ONCE!"

I forewarned the city at 3 public meetings, and I went with my dog
( so I would be remembered ) to the city administrators more than
20 times! I yelled and screamed for them to stop telling the lies to
my tenants and to stop the harassment. They were instilling fear in my
tenants. "I'm loosing my tenants because of your lies, ... that I will
hold the city liable if you do not cease and desist at once!"
By law, I needed to send all of the tenants down to the city's
license division to buy a business license, for them to do business
in the city of Mesa. When I then sent tenants down to the city to
get a business license, they would be told by the city's licensing
division that they should talk with zoning enforcement before
spending their money on a license. So people hopped in their cars
and went over to zoning enforcement, located in the basement of the
Mesa City Court building. The City staff there repeated and filled
their heads with all the above LIES! Those tenants then went and
told the existing tenants at Shoppers World whom they had made
friends with before deciding to move into Shoppers World. Tenant
meetings were held almost on a daily basis because of the fear of
the City's statements. (Talk about stress and aggravation!) I would
have food at most of the meetings, and I always ordered 30 to 40
extra portions of food and gave them out to the increasing number
of homeless people in the surrounding area neighborhoods.

I even appeared before the Mesa City Council three times, apprising
them that their staff is lying about me and my business, and that
if it did not cease at once I will hold the City responsible. More
than 20 times I personally went down to the City offices,
forewarning the City Manager and other top officials, including the
city council members at their offices.

Weeks after I informed and forewarned the city council and their
"bosses" of these occurrences, I got City employees on audio tape
still saying these things! I also have over 30 sworn affidavits
attesting to the fact that City employees were still promulgating
all these lies.

The city inspector was a "Higher Authority" then I
during this time, City inspector Marci Rogers would still come to
Shoppers World and start talking with the tenants, continuing her
mission of telling them all those lies. When you tell a tenant that
your landlord has set fires, trying to burn the building down, this
would be enough to scare any existing or future tenant into leaving
Shoppers World. After all, the City Inspector was a "higher
authority" than I, and anything that I would say would be
meaningless. The City inspectors have a badge and they can write
citations. They are considered by the City Manager and his minions
as one step below a city cop!

"Chuck" one of the many mom & pop business owners put
out of business through Mesa city corruption.

KEEPING SHOPPERS WORLD IN CITY CODE VIOLATION PLACES
SHOPPERS WORLD IN VIOLATION OF ITS LEASE ... A REASON
FOR EVICTION (loop-hole)

Tenants were scared to stay, or to continue paying rent at Shoppers
World. Since there was always a 40% turnover in this type of a
business, I could not keep it full after the first 6 months because
of the City's rumors, and I was fighting a loosing battle.
Business was good for most of the tenants. My store was grossing
(for me) at one point over $65,000 a month at the beginning.
Today, with rent increases, I would have been doing over $130,000 a
month. Why were they doing this? For ex-mayor Eldon? For the new tenant
in there now? Excel, a telemarketing company, took over
immediately after I left. Unmistakably, this was a done deal
before Shoppers World ever closed!
The landlord wanted the building back. If they could keep me in
violation of my lease, they could evict me, which they were trying
to do. This cost me over a hundred thousand dollars in legal fees.
Not to mention the stress on my tenants and me! Here I was
employing hundreds of people by giving hundreds of people the
opportunity to get into business for only $250 a month with no long
term commitment, only a 30 day notice! Some weeks we had over
30,000 people walking through the door, because I advertised in
every paper ..except toilet paper. We were on every TV station,
too!
Where could a tenant get that kind of foot traffic for $250 a
month?
The tenants were even in the TV commercials. Every week I would
rotate the different tenants' businesses, putting their business
and them on the TV commercials!

In any city in the USA, a business employing hundreds or enabling
hundreds of people to start their own small business would be
welcome with big open arms. The city would likely offer incentives
to a venture like mine. But NO. With no ethics or conscience
whatever, Mesa needed to do a political favor; and, as I was told
originally, they will get me out, one way or another.

POLITICAL CORRUPTION IN THE COURTS, WITH NO CHANCE IN HELL
OF GETTING JUSTICE

I sued the city of Mesa for damages based on my 15 year
lease with 2 five year options, and sued for about 25% of
what I would have made over a 25 year period.
I have been through ALMOST all of the courts here and have lost
every inch of the way! Thus far, the courts have said that it was
reasonable, for a reasonable person (the city inspector, Marci
Rogers) to say that:

Ed was setting fires to the building, trying to collect the
insurance.

There was criminal activity going on.

Shoppers World had over 40 violations.

Shoppers World could be closed down at any time.

Ed will be running his business from jail if the place is allowed
to stay open.

Ed had many tenants suing him, that several court cases were now
pending.

Ed is dumping garbage illegally around the building.

Note:
Again, all the above statements the City has not denied!

THE COURTS SAID...

The City said, and the courts agree, that because they have one
statement from one (disgruntled) tenant which backs up their
claims, that, "it is reasonable for a reasonable person to come to
the conclusion that City inspector Marci Rogers did by saying what
she did." .. This did no harm to Shoppers World or its owner
Shoppers World has filed a petition for review with the
Arizona Supreme Court on May 21, 1999 CASE #1 CA-CV 98-O271.
We're still trying to get our day in court!

The City inspector knew that the 1 (one) tenant, who gave the 1
(one) statement, "Mary Laing," was a disgruntled tenant who did not
pay rent for 3 months and who owed money for co-op advertising she
signed up for. "Mary Laing" was then legally locked out of her
business space for non payment of rent!

In all my 6 years in this type of business, I have gone through
over 900 tenants, only locking out 3 tenants in total! The tenants
all knew how easy I was on letting people slide on the rent. I
always worked with the people!

MY PERSONAL BELIEFS

I have always had a "live and let live" philosophy in dealing with
people: tolerant and accepting of people whose culture, background
or upbringing was different from my own. We are a melting pot in
this country, and I always had a strong distaste for bigoted or
derogatory remarks about other people based only on race, national
origin, religion or even sexual orientation. Adherence to the
Golden Rule and treating others fairly and squarely is a code of
conduct that I practice in all business and personal endeavors.
It's also common sense, because I believe narrow minded people
often cutthemselves off from their own potential for success.
Before I began Shoppers World in Mesa and was new to the area, an
acquaintance made a derogatory remark about Mormons to me, and I
chewed his ass out for being such a bigot. ..I didn't know then
what I know how.
..I threw him out of the Shoppers World store! If I could find this
man, I would apologize. I would fly him to New York and kiss his
ass in Macy's window in an effort to show him how sorry I am and
how wrong I was!

I AM NOT ALONE! ..READ HOW OTHERS HAVE SUFFERED THE WRATH
OF CITY MANAGER CHARLES K. LUSTER.

Since I was forced to close Shoppers World, I have learned that I
am not alone. In this city of Mormon and city of Corruption called
Mesa Arizona, others have also been victimized. Many others have
been subjected to the deception and fraud and a criminal mindset
that is perpetrated by networking Mormons and a power hungry city
manager who is void of conscience.

Underneath the goody-goody veneer exists hate and exploitation,
hypocrisy and secrecy, and an air of omnipotence that is unable to
withstand scrutiny by those who cannot be bought off.

I learned of the corruption within the Mesa police department, the
"Elliget case," which was finally brought to light in the early
90's and which had been covered up for years by Mesa's city
manager, Charles K. Luster.

When I was doing all I could to ward off the harassment from Mesa
City hall (so set on putting me out of business in order to fatten
the bank account of an unscrupulous Mormon "brother") I naively
went to Mesa City councilman Jim Stapley who was always available
to listen to my woes. I didn't know what he was all about.

CORRUPT MORMON COUNCILMAN FORCED TO RESIGN

In 1997 he was forced to resign from the city council only because
the outside media was uncovering a pattern of his own criminal
wrongdoing. He interfered in a criminal case against one of his
cronies by an intimidating call to the city prosecutor handling
the case. To a landlady who was evicting his son, he used a false
name and claimed to her face that he was his son's lawyer. He then
attempted to retaliate against the landlady by misusing City
employees of the tax and licensing division to further his
own ends. He again interfered in the criminal justice system with
an intimidating phone call to the Mormon judge who was handling the
eviction case of his son. To top it off, a fellow city councilwoman
charged him with improper advances and sexual harassment of herself
and other women. (It should be noted that Stapley was avidly
supported by his Mormon peers because he had a "temple recommend.")
Then an incident from early 1995 came to light, one which had been
covered up for 2 1/2 years by the Mesa city manager, and Stapley
finally resigned. He had impersonated a real narcotics detective
at the Pinal County courthouse, even flashing a phony badge, in a
quest to see a search warrant that had been served on another son.

Yes, Councilman Jim Stapley was the one I was telling my problems
to about the unlawful harassment by the City of Mesa at Shoppers
World.

In 1996 another Mormon Mesa councilman, Farrel Jensen, was forced
to resign his long-held position as director of a taxpayer funded
Mesa food bank after many improprieties were discovered including a
missing $1.7 million. When it was later learned that he had also
double billed the food bank and the city for hotels and meals
from a few seminars he'd attended out of state, he too was forced
to resign from the Mesa city council. This guy Jensen was on the
Mesa City council when I aired my grievances publicly to the city
council about the misuse of the police power directed towards me
and my tenants at Shoppers World, and Jensen was also chairman of
the city council police committee, something I later learned.

Is it any wonder that I could get no help or satisfaction from
these elected councilmen, Stapley and Jensen, over the lies and
abuse my tenants and I were encountering at Shoppers World and
about the focused drive by the Mormon city manager to put me and my
tenants out of business? Like a den of thieves, they were "all for
one and one for all."

SEX CRIMES COVERED UP

Since then I've also been told from insiders at the Mesa police
department that crimes committed by Mormons, particularly incest
and child molesting, are kept under wraps and covered up. With
their polygamous history, that shouldn't be surprising.

ZONING ENFORCEMENT FOR NON MORMONS ONLY

Mesa's sign and landscaping laws are strictly enforced for
non-Mormon businesses, but are largely ignored for Mormon
businesses. Just take a look around and ask the right questions, as
I have done. Preferential treatment to Mormons is a rule of thumb
for those administering the codes.
According to City Laws, ..Those Big, Old and very high signs must
come down and new landscaping requirements come into play when you
rebuild or rehabilitate more than 50% of a building or new
construction goes up on any property. ..BUT NO!
...Not for the Mormons and their buddie's projects. There are too
many to mention.

Where are the laws in this country? Equal opportunity and treatment
for everyone is supposed to mean equal application of the laws for
everyone.

MESA CITY COUNCIL SELLS MAYOR WAYNE BROWN'S BROTHER
$2 MILLION CITY PROPERTY FOR $1.00 AFTER TELLING THE PUBLIC IT
WOULD BE PAID FOR AT FAIR MARKET VALUE!

The coup of coups was the 2 acres of prime downtown property that
was cleared and purchased by the City of Mesa, reportedly worth
over $2 million, then given to the present mayor's brother, Henry
Brown, for $1.00 for his Brown & Brown Chevrolet dealership. Brown
threatened that he was going to move from downtown if he didn't
get more space downtown for his cars, even though the City was
renting him prime space downtown for pennies.

Meanwhile, the public never knew Brown had already sold the
dealership for millions, waiting to close on this property give-
away first to finalize the sale price. Long before he threatened to
move, he knew he was selling! Brown & Brown advertises as the
LARGEST Chevrolet dealership in the WORLD! Why would the largest
dealership in the world ever move? Yes, the Browns are also Mormon,
whose father was also a Mesa mayor for many years as well.

FAMILIES DISPLACED BY BROWN & BROWN CHEVROLET NEVER GET
THE FUNDS PROMISED TO HELP WITH MOVING COSTS.

The Mesa city council set aside thousands of dollars to help the
unfortunate displaced tenants from this crooked property takeover
and give-away. People have begged for the funds. Fortunately or
unfortunately they are not Mormon. More than a year later,
not one penny has been given to these property owners.
These are victims like the people in Kosvo chased from their land
and homes ..The only difference is they are not being physically
raped & shot. .. that we know of!

BORN & BRED MORMON

From an early age those born and bred into Mormonism are trained to
think alike, to stick together, and later to vote as a block for a
fellow Mormon. I have learned over the recent years that the
Mormons will lie for one another. They teach and brainwash that if
you are doing business with a non-Mormon, and a Mormon owned
business comes along, you simply do business with the Momon's.
Although they are a minority in number, this clannish socialization
is evident even in the schools, sometimes mean spirited and
arrogant towards fellow students. Those who are bullies go
unpunished. I hope they have learned the lessons of recent school
violence across the country. Mesa is an incident waiting to happen.

Mesa, Arizona is a corrupt city out of control ... benefiting a few
at the expense of the many. My commitment is to the Mesa population
at risk.

I am committed to reversing the Mormon corruption here by airing
their dirty laundry nationwide, before I die.

These many illegal property takeovers mentioned in this story and
in other stories can be found on the web site
www.ripoffreport.com.
This is a web site dedicated to reporting everything from bad
business practices, restaurants with bad service or food, to corrupt
police and other government agencies. Anyone can enter their own
Rip-Off Report or you may read the Rip-Off Reports before doing
business with a person, place or business.